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Peer Reviews
This
Beautiful City Entire contents copyright © 2008 Todd Zeigler. All rights reserved.
Why in the world are those people in Frankfort hysterical over casinos? Humana Festival entries are a gamble every year -- and the floor show is included in the ticket price. With This Beautiful City, a musical entry based on one theatre troupe's immersion in the evangelical metropolis of Colorado Springs, it's hard to tell which house -- the one dealing the cards, or the one just beyond the footlights -- has won. The New York-based Civilians traveled to Colorado in the wake of the sex scandal which brought down evangelical pastor Ted Haggard. The group constructed a "Laramie Project"-style tapestry based on interviews with the converted and the conflicted, tracing the 20-year rise of the Christian power center there -- and the aftermath of one catastrophic incident that shook it to its core. Being the accomplishment of a superb group of performers, composers and playwrights, This Beautiful City is a sleek, well-constructed piece that came readymade for the stage. The cast slides from character to character with deft precision, with the able accompaniment of several members of Actors' Apprentice company. They recreate the otherworldly fervor of prayer revivals and spiritual sessions with exuberant, almost frightening, authenticity. Standout performances come from the female members of The Civilians, including incredibly penetrating interpretations of an embattled transgender male and ex-addict housewife. One actress's portrayal of a fiery Baptist minister nearly had the audience sending calls of "Hallelujah!" up to the light grid.
What impedes the show is the broad and challenging nature of the topic. To begin with, Haggard is not a sympathetic presence to set as the show's axis. The born-again characters who take up for him don't have much of an arc. They cling to their faith so tightly, it doesn't really allow them to change. Interweaving so many anecdotes to construct topical material creates a somewhat agitating staccato effect. It's hard to tell when or where the story will end. The show makes great use of multimedia elements as commentary on new media and spirituality. Meanwhile, it's difficult to tell if the musical numbers are derived from actual church material or are commentary themselves. It's a lot to take in; the audience has a lot to process with so many cards being dealt at once. This Beautiful City brings a lot to the table in discussing religion, politics, and what it means to live in the United States when both divide more than unite. To a show trying to raise discussion in a hit-or-miss environment like the Humana Fest, I'd like to say: hit me. Harder.
This Beautiful City Posted March 14, 2008
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